Iran Condemns US Drone Incursion in Letter to UN Chief

Iran has condemned the violation of its airspace by a US spy drone, telling the United Nations in a letter that the international community needs to confront Washington’s destabilizing actions.

“Iran condemns, in the strongest possible terms, this irresponsible and provocative wrongful act by the United States, which entails its international responsibility,” Majid Takht-e Ravanchi, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, wrote in a letter addressed to United Nations Secretary General António Guterres and the UN Security Council on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said it had shot down an unmanned US aircraft after it breached the country’s airspace.

Ravanchi wrote in the letter that Iran had the right to defend its sovereignty according to the world body’s Charter.

“While the Islamic Republic of Iran does not seek war, it reserves its inherent right, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, to take all appropriate necessary measures against any hostile act violating its territory, and is determined to vigorously defend its land, sea and air.”

He called on the international community to pressure the US into ending such “unlawful and destabilizing” actions in the Persian Gulf region.

“This is not the first provocative act by the United States against Iran’s territorial integrity,” he said, reminding the UN that Iran has always protested the US move through Washington’s interest section in the embassy of Switzerland in Tehran.

Earlier, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi protested the US violation in a phone call with the Swiss envoy.

“There are irrefutable evidence about the presence of this drone in Iran’s airspace and even some parts of its wreckage have been retrieved from Iranian territorial waters,” Araqchi said.

He called on Washington to respect the Islamic Republic’s aerial and maritime borders, warning the Swiss envoy that “Iran will always act firmly in defending its soil and water without any hesitation.”

The UN secretary general said Thursday that he was worried about tensions in the Persian Gulf.

“He appeals to all sides to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any action that can escalate the already tense situation,” said Stephane Dujarric, Guterres’ spokesperson.